Giving your dog a well-deserved treat can be as satisfying for you as it is for him. Treats help build the bond between you; the perfect way to show how much you care.

Treats can also play an important role in training. By rewarding dogs with a treat when they obey a command, they learn to associate good behaviour with something nice - called 'Positive Reinforcement'. You'll find that treats with a strong, tasty smell are especially effective.

But feeding too many, or the wrong type of treats, can unbalance your dog's diet and lead to weight problems. Tempting as it is to treat your dog with scraps and leftovers, manufactured treats are a far healthier alternative. Carefully formulated to taste great and complement main meals without upsetting the nutritional balance, many even include nutritional 'extras' with benefits like improved dental or digestive health.

Remember, when you do treat, always reduce your dog's main meal by an equivalent calorific amount and feed according to manufacturer's directions. The feeding guides on the back of packs will help you calculate how many and how often to feed.

Types of treats

Rewards - smaller, meat-based treats designed to provide positive reinforcement during training or to reward good behaviour. Limit these to 10% of your dog's daily intake.

Treats - there are a huge variety of fun, tasty treats available in a wide range of flavours. Low fat options are best. You can feed regularly, but don't exceed 15% of your dog's daily requirement.

Biscuits - feed as a snack or as a mixer to add crunch to canned food. Biscuits help clean your dog's teeth and can be fed up to 15% of your dog's total diet.

Chews - available in a variety of sizes for different breeds, chews help strengthen the teeth, are often vitamin fortified, and help keep your dog occupied.

Health treats - functional treats designed to promote healthy body systems, with additional benefits such as vitamins and minerals, or omega 6 fatty acids for the skin and coat.

Feeding scraps
Whilst feeding table scraps and titbits is generally not advisable, it's often difficult to say no! If you do decide to give in from time to time, be aware there are some foods you need to stay clear of.

• Avoid uncooked vegetables - for example, rhubarb and spinach can cause adverse reactions, while onions are toxic.
• Never feed raw meat, and reduce the risk of food poisoning by thoroughly cooking any fresh meat to kill bacteria. Watch out for small pieces of bone, especially brittle chicken and fish bones, as they can damage teeth and cause obstructions in the gut.
• Don't feed chocolate to your dog. It is also highly toxic to their systems: as little as 3oz of baking chocolate can kill a medium-sized dog!
• Meat and table scraps shouldn't account for more than 10% of your dog's total diet. If your 'extras' exceed this amount, you risk upsetting the value of a balanced pet food as well as creating a fussy eater likely to put on weight.

Weight problems
Every dog deserves a treat to reward good behaviour, but treats and scraps add calories to their diet. So when you offer food treats, decrease meal quantities accordingly. It's easier to calculate the amount you need to reduce if you use commercially prepared treats, as the calories they contain will be shown on the pack, which isn't the case with a chunk of cheese here and a lump of leftover meat there.

Even when dogs are slightly overweight, it's usually fine to reward them with something extra from time to time. Just choose a low fat variety.